It may not be raining cats and dogs in the gaming world this week, but that does not mean there' s nothing to look forward to for the days between August 3 and 9. We've got a little bit of racing (GRID, Crash Time) for daredevils out there, and an adventure that'll sure to teach a lesson or two to  those youngsters who do not believe in monsters and who throw house parties when their parents are away (Monster Madness: Grave Danger).

Let's start this week early, shall we? Coming up on retail shelves starting July 27 all the way to the first few days of August is another hailstorm of PC games from the independent front, though you'd probably love this week for the release of Namco Bandai's SoulCalibur IV and its limited edition kits. But if there's anything more significant this time, it's the appearance of more Olympics-themed games as the week heralds the eve before the World Olympics in Beijing. We take them all at the full story.

Another week of On Shelves, and the major consoles are apparently missing in action. That doesn't mean, however, that there won't be any fun to be had in this week's slew of game releases. Final Fantasy IV will finally be getting its turn in the DS spotlight, for one, and there are several other sports and adventure titles to keep you busy through the summer lull.

Under pressure from Connecticut's attorney general, the WiiWare game Beer Pong was rechristened as Pong Toss. The change was due to the word "Beer" in the title, and the title-change worked to change its "T for Teens" rating from the ESRB to an "E for Everyone" rating. Beer just isn't for everyone. Story in the full article.

So what's going to be in our videogaming menu starting this week? A whole lot of DS games once again, we tell you, though there's a few gems or two in the Nintendo handheld rough on Tuesday. There's a music rhythm game for almost every console out there, plus a couple new additions to the portfolio of PC games. Somehow we're also seeing another relaunching of Gears of War for the Xbox 360 the "Refresh" edition. We don't know why it's re-listed, but it is. The full list follows at the full story.

For a place that once deemed September 26 as Guitar Hero Day, you'd expect most New Yorkers to be pretty cool about games. We've got news that might startle you though, as the New York State Senate recently voted 61-1 to approve a bill that would make game ratings mandatory in the state of New York. Learn more after the jump!

Get those savings ready cos you're about to be bombarded with truckloads of games for this week. It's summer vacation, anyway, so we're sure you won't have to worry about taking a break for schoolwork. Topping the much-awaited list this week is The Phantom Fortress installment of the Naruto Ninja series. There's also Alone in the Dark to give you the hibby-jibbies as well as a plethora of other simulation games and more. Fun's spread the multiplatform way so get going and click on that full article for the full 411.

The ESRB recently updated their online submission form, enabling publishers to now choose when data on their games will be released on the rating board's site. Further details on this new policy are available in the full article.

This issue is another one of those weeks where you could selectively stave off from spending hard-earned cash, but then there are millions of gamers who need their gaming fix. Gladly enough, third-party publishers on the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii have addressed the casual gaming populace, and that pretty much sums up this week's retail release line up. On second thought, no - we still have an MMO, EA Maxis' pre-Spore sampler, a formerly retail, now PSN game, plus the release of Rock Band on the Nintendo Wii. Check the full story for details.

This week welcomes the much-loved and much-awaited Metal Gear Solid 4 from Konami. No longer should we worry about broken street dates, because today it all becomes official. But Solid Snake is not the only superhero around as there's also Goku and the gang of Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, as well as the big, green machine, The Incredible Hulk. If you'd rather work on the sidelines, then Don King Present: Prizefigther is here as well to show you the ropes of managing in the boxing profession, as well as Total Extreme Wrestling 2008. More games await after the jump!